Monday, February 12, 2007
USI’s Center for Applied Research and Economic Development
involves students and faculty in research
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Many Pigeon Creek Greenway Passage trail users surveyed by University of Southern Indiana student Jennifer Nolan during a recent usage study of the Evansville trail talked about how they were looking forward to completion of additional segments so they could walk farther without getting off the path. Michael Patzer, a finance and economics major, felt that gathering data about the recreational pathway would help move it forward. “I have an interest in it, having lived in Evansville,” he said. Patzer has used the pathway for walking and biking. Nolan and Patzer were two of 42 students, most of them from an economics class in statistics, who were recruited in fall semester to conduct a study initiated by the USI Center for Applied Research and Economic Development (CARED) in partnership with the Greenway Passage advisory board, chaired by Shirley James. The USI students completed a manual count of individuals on the path and surveyed users about frequency of trail use, repeat use, time spent on the trail, the kind of activity for which they used the trail, how they got there, where they came from, and their satisfaction level. Students also documented demographic information including race, gender, age, income level, and education. Students in USI’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) program analyzed the data and prepared a summary of the findings. (See list of key findings below.) James said, “We needed this to have a real feel for how we are going to plan trails in the future. It showed us that the Greenway is being used more than we thought. “I thought we had picked a week of the year that normally has nice weather, but it rained every day. We were in a state of wonderment that over 2,000 people used the trail during that week despite the weather conditions.” James said the usage report was “nicely done.” She expects it to be instrumental in securing future funding for additional segments of the Greenway. She said, “We needed these statistics to show there is interest in the trail — even when it's raining.” The summary report includes recommendations about accessibility, parking, trash, security, and other issues for consideration by the advisory board. Following approval of the report by the Evansville Parks Board, James planned to distribute copies of the summary to community and state leaders to increase awareness of the impact of the Greenway Passage. The advisory board has been congratulated by Steve Morris, streams and trails section chief for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, for accomplishing the study. Officials with other trail associations, Including the B&O Trail Association in central Indiana, have requested copies of the summary. USI students collected the data October 11-17. Working in pairs, they completed the count and surveys at specific intercept points in Garvin Park and on the Evansville riverfront portions of the trail. When all phases are complete, the Greenway Passage recreational trail is designed to encircle Vanderburgh County. Presently, the Greenway includes a completed section starting at the canoe launch at the north end of Heidelbach Avenue. This section follows along the levee and proceeds under Diamond Avenue to connect on the north side of Garvin Park with another completed section that continues under First Avenue and ends at Uhlhorn Street. Another section is complete along the downtown riverfront. Over the long term the trail is designed to connect with the University of Southern Indiana campus. Ultimately, the passage will connect to a nationwide system of trails known as the American Discovery Trail. MPA student Linda Bailey ’04, who completed requirements for an undergraduate degree in psychology in spring 2006, wrote most of the report prepared for the Greenway Passage Committee and the Evansville Parks Board. MPA student Michelle White also worked on the report. In addition to writing the summary, Bailey worked one four-hour shift during the data-collection period to get a better sense of the trail and its users. She presented a report summarizing the study results at a meeting of the Evansville Parks Board. “It was overwhelmingly positive,” Bailey said of user response to the Greenway. “I was out there only for a four-hour period, but during that time we had no negative comments. That was what was most impressive about it.” Bailey said out-of-town visitors coming down the Riverfront portion of the trail from Casino Aztar had praise for the Greenway. “Either they didn't have one in their area and wanted it, or they did have one and enjoyed it there,” she said. Dr. Sue Ellspermann, director of CARED, served as project director for the Greenway study. Dr. Uisoon Kwon, USI instructor in political science, was research director for the study, the first scientific and systematic effort to ascertain usage of the Greenway. “This eventually would help to finish remaining parts of the Greenway by providing useful information to policy makers in Evansville city government or even policy makers in the State of Indiana,” he said. Markay L. Doane, CARED senior project assistant, said students involved in data collection were paid. Their compensation was the only cost incurred by the Greenway Passage advisory board and the Evansville Parks Board for the study. Students who collected the data received $7 an hour for their work and spent a cumulative 317 hours on the project. They worked in four-hour shifts from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on the collection days. Dr. Mary Ann Shifflet, USI instructor in economics, said students got to know each other better while collecting the data and worked together effectively. They attended a mandatory training session to familiarize themselves with protocols for sampling and questioning to ensure the survey data would be conducted with a minimum margin of error. Students also completed online training regarding the use of human subjects in research. Kwon said the survey gave undergraduate students an opportunity to learn about the process of survey research. They also learned about the sampling process and how to avoid errors in the data collection process not only by participating in the special training but also by engaging in the real survey. Patzer said he learned that he had to stick to a script when asking questions rather than posing them in his own words in order to ensure reliable data. “Many students were taking a research method class and learned how to treat a set of individual-level data with various techniques of quantitative analysis. However, most of them probably did not know how those individual -level data sets are prepared and gathered at first hand,” Kwon said. Bailey said the Greenway is a good thing for Evansville. She welcomed the research study as an opportunity to put her interest in research and statistics to work in the community. “When you go out on the Greenway, you feel good. Using it makes you healthier. It elevates your mood,” she said. “I got into this project, and it made me feel that I’m a part of something.” Pigeon Creek Greenway Usage Study Key Findings •During the week of the data collection, 1,880 trail users were counted at the Riverfront intercept point and 374 at the Garvin Park intercept point. • Trail users were predominately male. • Walking was the prevalent activity. At the Riverfront location, 79 percent of users walked on the trail; 59 percent walked on the trail at Garvin Park. •Usage peaked at the Riverfront location between noon and 1 p.m. on weekdays and between 2 p.m. - 3-p.m. on weekends; Garvin Park usage was “somewhat consistent” throughout the week. • From 50 percent to 60 percent of the trail users reported using the trail three or more times each week. • Most users (70 percent at the Riverfront and 89 percent at Garvin Park) reported arriving at the trails from their home; most users arrived by automobile. • More trail users were in the 46-65 age group than in other single age group Forty-one percent of users at the riverfront and 42 percent at Garvin Park were in the 46-65 age group. • Trail users surveyed at the riverfront location rated their satisfaction with the trail as “very satisfied” 86 percent of the time; trail users surveyed at Garvin Park rated their satisfaction level as “very satisfied” 53 percent of the time. Neither location received a “not satisfied at all” rating from trail users. • Ninety-four percent of trail users indicated they would return to the trail. The remaining six percent of users were out-of-town visitors. Source: Pigeon Creek Greenway Usage Study Summary Report |
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